Flue-stopper.



' G. 0'. TBREY.-

FLUE STOPPER.

APPLIGAIION FILED MAY 26, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910.

Witweoow Skim/M41 o T GFFICE.

GEORGE ORVILL TERRY, OF GOOD THUNDER, MINNESOTA.

FLUE-STOPPER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE O. TERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Good Thunder, in the county of Blue Earth and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Flue-Stopper, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to flue stoppers and has for an object to provide a device of this character that will conform to the outline of a flue and form a closure for the same, and will have a fabric ring to engage and snugly fit the thimble of a flue whereby to prevent any soot from working out and defacing the wall paper adjacent the flue.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which will have yielding clamping portions that will be adjustable to conform to the outline of fines that have a larger or smaller diameter than the standard flue.

Still another object is to provide a device of this character that will be constructed of a few simple parts that will not easily get out of order and which can be made at a minimum cost.

With these and other objects in view which will be set forth in the following specification and defined in the claims, my invention embraces the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the flue stopper in operative position, showing a flue in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the flue stopper.

It is well known that in the use of the usual form of flue stopper, it is almost impossible to adjust the stopper tight enough to the flue to prevent soot from working out, especially if the wall is a little uneven around the flue. To obviate this, I apply a felt washer to my flue stopper whereby the stopper is made to tightly engage the wall adjacent the flue and this fabric ring compressed between the wall and the outer member of the flue stopper serves to prevent any soot from working out.

Referring now to the drawing, in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the views shown, 1 designates a flue in which is located the usual thimble 2. Bearing against the wall in which the fine is formed is a circular disk 3, forming a stopper or closure for the flue, and which may be ornamented to impart a neat and finished appearance to the disk or may be Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 26, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910. Serial No. 498,410.

covered over with wall paper in which case as the disk is perfectly flat, it will be entirely concealed from view. Secured to the inner face, adjacent the periphery of the disk 1 is an annular fabric washer 4, designed to tightly engage the outer end of the thiinble 2 and adjacent portions of the side wa 1.

On one of the lateral faces of the disk 3 are spaced strips 5, each of which is secured at one end to the disk in any desired manner, the connection in this instance being effected by engaging the bifurcated ends 6 through slots formed in the disk 3 and bending the protruding tongues inward against the face of the disk, thus holding the strips at a right angle to the disk and rigidly secured. The strips terminate in bifurcated inner ends 7, provided with transverse openings adapted to receive pivot pins 8 that pivotally secure the inner clamping members to the strips.

Each of the inner clamping members consists of a shank 9 provided with a longitudinal slot 10 adapted to engage and slidingly fit the pivot pin 8 and terminating at one end in a clamping portion 11 adapted to engage the t-himble 2 of the flue. The clamping portion is made of spring material and is preferably in the form of a loop having a flat outer surface to conform to the contour of a fine which may vary in size from the standard flue and to permit a tight frictional contact with the thimble of the flue. From this construction it is evident that the clamping members are held spaced from the disk 3 by the upright strips 5 to which they are pivotally secured, and also the clamping members may be slid laterally in either direction in order that the clamping loops may bear upon the thimble of the flue.

The opposed ends of the clamping members are pivotally connected in any desired manner, but in this instance the bifurcated end of one telescopes the bifurcated end of the other, and a pivot bolt 12 is passed transversely through the interfitting terminals. The threaded shank of the pivot bolt carries an adjusting nut 13 and is of a sufficient length to engage the eye 14 of pullrod 15 which is interposed between the bifurcated ends of the inner telescoping terminals. The pullrod 15 passes through the disk 3 and terminates in a finger loop 16 by means of which it may be moved back and forth through the dlsk. As will be evident, the

operation of pushing in the pull rod has a tendency to shove the disk up closer to the wall, thus compressing the felt asher 2 between the plate and the wall, and it is positively held in this position when the rod has reached its inward limit or motion whereby the clamping portions are locked in position. In order to permit the clamping portions to be quickly adjusted to any size fine, a plurality of alined openings 17 is formed in the shanks of the clamping members, and are of a size to receive the pivot bolt 12 which inserted through the pair of alined openings that will bring the spring clamping portions to bear upon the thimble of the flue.

It will be understood from the above description that when the parts are in the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1 that the device may be inserted in a line. lVhen the pull rod is shoved inwardly, the pivoted clamping members will be shoved laterally and the terminal spring clamping portions spread to engage the sides of the thimble, and when in this position the pivotally connected ends of the members will be moved slightly beyond the plane in which the ends of the clamping members are located where by the device will be securely locked in position.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be easily understood without requiring a more ex tended explanation, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be made without sacrificing any of the advantages or departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described in v invention, what I claim is 1. A fine stopper having an external member, an internal member having clamping portions pivoted together at their inner ends and provided with yieldable clamping portions at their outer ends, strips secured to said external member, and terminally pivoted to the clamping portions of said inner member, and means combined with said internal member for adjusting the same to operative position.

2. A fine stopper having an external member provided on its inner face with a fabric ring, adjustable clamping members pivotally connected together at one end and terminating in yielding clamping portions, strips secured at one end to said external member and pivotally connected at the other to said clamping members, and a pullrod assembled with said clamping members and projecting through said external member whereby to adjust the clamping members to operative position.

3. A flue stopper having a cushioned outer member adapted to form a closure for a fine, an adjustable inner member terminating in yielding transverse loops for engagement with the inner thimble of a flue, spaced strips secured to said outer member and supporting said inner member, and a pull rod pivotally connected to said inner member and projecting through said outer member whereby to adjust the clamping members to operative position.

a. A fine stopper having an outer member having spaced strips secured to its inner face, said strips being provided terminally with transversely disposed pivot pins, an inner member having spaced yielding clamping portions provided with adjustable pivotally connected shanks, said shanks having longitudinal grooves adapted to slidingly fit the transverse pivot pins of the strips whereby to permit the lateral adjustment of said shanks, and a pull rod assembled with said inner clamping members and operating to hold the clamping portions in engagement with the inner thimble of a tlnc.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE ORVILL TERRY.

Witnesses H. C. MIELKE, F. H. MoRLocn. 

